SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) -Samsung Group has joined the global AI data center gold rush by pledging $1 billion to infrastructure company Helix, expanding the South Korean chip powerhouse’s ambitions from supplying semiconductors to building and powering the facilities that run artificial intelligence.
Six Samsung affiliates said Tuesday they would jointly invest in Helix Digital Infrastructure, a company established by global investment firm KKR to develop data centers, power systems and connectivity infrastructure for large cloud and AI operators.
Samsung Electronics will contribute $500 million. Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will provide the remainder.
Shares of Samsung Electronics were up 1 percent and Samsung C&T 0.6 percent while those of others Samsung units fell after the announcement.
The commitment adds to more than $10 billion pledged to the Helix strategy at its launch in June by investors including KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority, Nvidia and U.S. power producer Vistra, according to a separate announcement by Helix and KKR.
Helix is led by Adam Selipsky, the former chief executive of Amazon Web Services. It plans to invest in, develop and manage AI infrastructure in North America and other markets.
For Samsung, the investment offers a route into a broader share of AI spending, bringing together businesses ranging from memory chips and cooling equipment to construction, batteries and data center operations.
Samsung said the investment would help its affiliates expand their role from hardware component suppliers to participants in the development of global AI infrastructure.
“Samsung brings unique capabilities that we expect will benefit Helix and its customers, and we look forward to working together to accelerate the deployment of next-generation digital infrastructure for hyperscalers around the world,” Selipsky said.
Helix’s model combines data center development and operations with power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, as well as fiber-optic networks. The aim is to help hyperscalers — large cloud and technology companies operating vast computing networks — secure the facilities and electricity needed to expand AI services.
Samsung identified power availability as the biggest bottleneck in AI infrastructure. Helix plans to secure energy capacity through direct investment and partnerships with energy developers, including Vistra.
The investment also creates potential business opportunities across Samsung’s affiliates, although the announcements did not identify specific supply contracts or construction projects awarded to them.
Samsung Electronics would bring semiconductor technology alongside cooling systems supplied through FläktGroup, the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning specialist it acquired in 2025. Its cooling portfolio ranges from air systems to coolant distribution units used in liquid cooling.
Samsung C&T would contribute engineering, procurement and construction capabilities for data centers and power plants. Samsung SDS designs, builds and operates data centers and has expanded into services that let customers rent access to graphics processing units for AI workloads. Its domestic activities include work on the Korea AI Computing Center.
Samsung SDI is seeking opportunities to supply batteries for uninterruptible power systems and backup units, which help keep high-performance servers running around the clock.
Helix said it would explore Samsung’s capabilities in technology, construction, energy storage and cooling alongside Nvidia’s AI infrastructure expertise and Vistra’s power business.
The arrangement could give participating companies a commercial foothold as well as an investment return. KKR’s announcement said strategic investors may have priority or first-look rights to provide goods and services to Helix investments, without detailing any Samsung-specific rights.
Neither announcement disclosed Samsung’s ownership stake, the individual commitments of the five affiliates other than Samsung Electronics, or a timetable for deploying the capital.
AJP Takeaways
- Six Samsung affiliates will invest a combined $1 billion in Helix, with Samsung Electronics contributing half of the total.- The investment expands Samsung's AI ambitions beyond chips into data centers, power infrastructure, cooling, construction and energy storage.
- The partnership could create business opportunities across Samsung affiliates, though no specific supply contracts, ownership stake or investment timeline were disclosed.
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